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"La La Land" Touts LA as a Production Location

“La La Land” has exploded myths that musicals are mindless and have a hard time at the box office. For the industry, the movie has also helped explode some myths about filming in Los Angeles: that it’s too expensive, too complicated, and that disgruntled locals are likely to sabotage location lensing.
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During early planning in 2014, some suggested that L.A. costs might force a switch in locations, a notion that [Director Damien] Chazelle and his producers vetoed. The budget (an estimated $30 million) proved doable when L.A. tax breaks went into effect in 2015. Senior location manager Robert Foulkes adds that the permit process has gotten significantly “easier and more personable” in the past few years. About 70% of the film’s permits went through FilmL.A., which provides permit and production planning services for the city and county of Los Angeles; Foulkes calls the organization “a well-oiled machine.”